Partners and TV shows have a new way to earn money from their products.

Per recent rumors, YouTube has announced its intent to provide paid subscription channels, according to a blog post Thursday. The company is doing a pilot program for the subscriptions with a handful of partners and will start subscriptions at 99 cents per month.

The two most recognizable names attached to the program so far are Sesame Street and Ultimate Fighting Champion, which will both offer shows via paid subscription. Other experimental paid shows include JusticeCentral.TV, PGA Digital Golf Academy, and a channel for the educational TV show Franklin.

YouTube states that once users are subscribed to a channel, they will be able to view the content on computers, smartphones, tablets, and TVs. The blog post also says that “soon you’ll be able to subscribe to them from more devices.”

The program will be rolled out over several weeks, and YouTube says that eventually it will become “a self-service feature for qualifying partners”—that is, with YouTube’s blessing, owners of YouTube channels will be able to break out and price their own paid subscription content if they so choose. Descriptions on paid channels' pages say that the subscription gets viewers an advertising-free viewing experience.

All channels currently have a 14-day trial and some will have “discounted yearly rates.” According to Wired, the majority of subscription fees paid by viewers will go to the channel’s producers rather than YouTube itself, though YouTube has yet to publicly announce a strategy for breaking down the revenue.

Casey Johnston
Casey Johnston is the former Culture Editor at Ars Technica, and now does the occasional freelance story. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Applied Physics. Twitter@caseyjohnston